Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 8 May, whether the budget for compensation and costs for land or businesses purchased, relocated or affected by HS2 Phase 1 includes provision for properties or businesses associated with each of the Additional Provisions.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many properties which are required to be purchased by HS2 had no budget allocation in the project’s Property Compensation Estimate of £4.8billion within the 2015 Spending Round Budget.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 has made provision in its land budgets for all reasonably anticipated disturbance payments in accord with the Compensation Code.

baroness sugg: The budget for land and property acquisitions was updated to reflect Additional Provisions following Royal Assent of the High Speed Rail Phase One Bill (High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands Act 2017). This adjustment was within the funding envelope agreed at the 2015 Spending Review. It is not possible to accurately predict the number of properties that may need to be acquired in future by the Secretary of State which had no budget allocation in the project's Property Compensation Estimate since land requirements naturally evolve as the project advances and the route design becomes more developed. Provision is made within the HS2 land and property budget for all reasonably anticipated disturbance payments. The budget is kept under review as compensation claims are negotiated and settled with affected parties.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the undertakings and assurances provided by HS2 to petitioners during the passage of the HS2 Bill for Phase 1 allow all required land to be obtained and the project built to the stated 2026 timetable.

baroness sugg: HS2 Ltd considers all relevant assurances and undertakings each time land is required to build the railway. Furthermore, assurances and undertakings are scheduled into HS2 Ltd’s construction plans to ensure their effective delivery. The Government therefore considers the undertakings and assurances provided to petitioners during the passage of the HS2 Phase One Bill to be compatible with the timely delivery of the project.

High Speed Two

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any members of HS2 staff have been dismissed for making public interest or protected disclosures about discrepancies in the project’s stated budget.

baroness sugg: I can confirm that no HS2 Ltd members of staff have been dismissed for making public interest or protected disclosures about discrepancies in the projects stated budget.

Railways: Sheffield

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent changes to train timetables on the total journey time of trains from Sheffield to London.

baroness sugg: We are investing in the biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870. This infrastructure upgrade will create capacity for up to 50% more seats in the peak into London St Pancras. We continue to work closely with Network Rail on the upgrade, and based on their plans and projections at this time, delivery is expected in 2020. Before then, timetables will need to continue to be implemented taking account of the available infrastructure on the Midland Main Line and the requirements of the various train operators on the route. As part of the May 2018 timetable development the Department for Transport worked closely with the East Midlands Trains to ensure that the timetable change continued to provide the same level and frequency of service between Sheffield and London. The Department is having a continual dialogue with East Midlands Trains to ensure that the new timetable implementation is successful and that any possible improvements are identified and implemented in a timely manner before the transformational upgrade of the Midland Main Line is complete.

Aviation: Facilities

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new aerodromes have been built in the lastten years for which data is available.

baroness sugg: In order for an aerodrome to be used for public transport flights or flight training in aircraft above a certain weight, it requires a licence or certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In the last ten years there have been no newly built aerodromes that meet the criteria that would require a license or certificate to be issued by the CAA. Neither the Government nor the CAA possess information on aerodromes that are neither licensed nor certificated.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they provided in technical assistance funding to Bahrain in the financial year 2017–18; and how much funding they intend to allocate to Bahrain for technical assistance in the financial year 2018–19.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government works with a number of implementation partners and beneficiaries to support Bahraini-led reform. These programmes aim to support progress on building effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and justice reform. All of our work is in line with international standards, and aims to share the UK's expertise and experience. Any training provided by, or on behalf of, the British Government fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations. As many projects and programme activities deliver across the region, it is not possible to provide a breakdown according to each beneficiary state.

Israel: Borders

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Minister of State for the Middle East on 15 May (HC Deb, col 138) confirming the Government’s support for Israel’s right to defend its borders, what they consider Israel’s borders to be.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is clear that we support Israel's right to defend its borders from attack. We distinguish between the State of Israel within the 1948 armistice lines and the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. We are also clear that the permanent borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state should be based on pre-1967 lines with equal land swaps to reflect the national, security, and religious interests of the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. The final status of these borders must be determined by the parties as part of a negotiated two-state solution.

Denmark: Islam

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Denmark regarding integration minister Inger Stojberg's statement on Muslims fasting during the month of Ramadan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is aware of these comments made by the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration. The UK enjoys a close dialogue with the Danish government on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), most recently through the recent visit of Lord Ahmad to Denmark on 18 May. The protection of the right to FoRB is a priority of Her Majesty's Government's foreign policy and will continue to be so.

Armed Forces: Detainees

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish revisedConsolidated Guidance to Intelligence Officers and Service Personnel on the Detention and Interviewing ofDetainees Overseas, and on the Passing and Receipt ofIntelligence Relating to Detainees; if so, when; and whetherthat Guidancewill reflect the circumstances of the case of Belhaj and another v Straw and others.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence as well as the security and intelligence agencies, National Crime Agency and SO15 have been fully involved in the work to consider what changes could be made to the Consolidated Guidance. The Government will seek the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on it in the context of their wider Detainee Inquiry which will be published later this year. Mr Belhaj's case was that he was detained and forcibly conveyed through a number of jurisdictions in 2004. The Consolidated Guidance was first published in 2010. On 6 July 2010 Her Majesty's Government made clear that the publication of the Consolidated Guidance was part of its work to settle the issues of the past; make clear the rules of operation for the future; and build a framework for justice that enhanced both security and liberty.

Saudi Arabia: Females

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia following the arrests of women's rights activists in connection with the decision to allow Saudi women to drive.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by reports of these arrests and are monitoring closely. The Foreign Secretary has raised our concerns with the Saudi authorities.

Sayed Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 May (HL7774), whether the investigations by the oversight bodies in Bahrain into the torture allegations of Sayed Alwadaei’s family members were swift and thorough.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We understand both the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the National Institute for Human Rights have been active and responsive to the issues raised by the family.We continue to monitor the cases of family members of Mr Alwadaei and have raised them at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.

Bahrain: Nationality

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of citizenship revocations in Bahrain; and what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain about them.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has concerns about the revocation of nationality when it renders individuals stateless. We have raised this issue at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.

Bahrain: Torture

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 April (HL6557), on what basis they consider the Bahraini Special Investigation Unit’s investigation into the death-row inmates Mohamed Ramadan and Husain Moosa to be transparent.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We welcome the investigation and recommendation of the Special Investigations Unit and the subsequent decision of the Minister of Justice to refer the cases of Mohamed Ramadan and Husain Moosa back to the Court of Cassation for retrial. The recommendation and subsequent decision has been made available in the public domain. We will continue to closely monitor these cases.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the allocated budget for Bahrain from the Integrated Activity Fund in 2016-17.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded programmes to support building effective and accountable public and judicial institutions in Bahrain. All of our work fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations and Her Majesty's Government standards of assurance and accountability to ensure value for money for UK taxpayers. In financial year 2016-17, £1.52 million was spent on UK expertise to Bahraini-led reform through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund. No funding was received from the Integrated Activity Fund in 2016-17.

Gaza: Israel

baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government for what reasons they abstained from voting on the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council held on 18 May, calling for an independent investigation into recent violence in Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We abstained on calls for a Commission of Inquiry into recent violence in Gaza because the substance of the resolution was not impartial and balanced. We could not support an investigation that refused to explicitly examine the action of non-state actors such as Hamas. An investigation of this kind would not provide us with a comprehensive assessment of accountability. However, the UK continues to fully support the need for an independent and transparent investigation into recent events. We call directly on Israel to carry out a transparent inquiry into the Israeli Defense Forces' conduct at the border fence and to demonstrate how this will achieve a sufficient level of independence. We believe this investigation should include international members. We urge that the findings of such an investigation be made public and if, wrongdoing is found, that those responsible are held to account. The Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of Israel conducting an independent investigation when he spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 16 May.

Gaza: Israel

baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s resolution of 18 May that the use of force by Israel in Gaza was disproportionate and indiscriminate.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is concerned about the high number of deaths and casualties during protests in Gaza, including the volume of live fire used. The Foreign Secretary, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa and I have all raised the use of force with Israeli authorities. The Foreign Secretary spoke to both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas on 16 May, where he encouraged them to call for calm and work to de-escalate the situation. There is an urgent need to establish the facts; the UK continues to fully support the need for an independent and transparent investigation into recent events. We call directly on Israel to carry out a transparent inquiry into the Israeli Defense Forces' conduct at the border fence and to demonstrate how this will achieve a sufficient level of independence.

Turkey: Security

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey ways in which its legitimate interests in border security can be satisfied from within its own frontiers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As NATO Allies we fully support Turkey's legitimate right to ensure the security of its borders. In our regular dialogue with the Turkish government we urge Turkey to ensure that in any border security operations it conducts civilian casualties are avoided and humanitarian access for international aid is protected.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Small Businesses

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage small and medium sized enterprises to offer more apprenticeships.

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether requirements imposed by the current apprenticeship levy for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to pay 10per cent of training costs have had any impact on the provision of apprenticeships by SMEs; and whether they have any plans to abolish this requirement.

lord agnew of oulton: The latest phase of our employer engagement campaign is aimed at encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who have employed apprentices in the past to continue their recruitment and upskilling of apprentices and attract new SMEs to hiring apprentices. SMEs with questions about apprenticeships can access the National Apprenticeship Service national business helpline. We also work with SME ambassadors and advisers so that they can showcase the benefits of apprenticeships. For employers with fewer than 50 employees, 100 per cent of the cost of training is paid for apprentices who are either 16 to 18-years old, 19 to 24-year old care leavers or 19 to 24-year olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Non-levy paying employers receiving transfers from larger levy paying employers can use these transferred funds to cover 100 per cent of apprenticeship costs. More widely it is recognised that smaller businesses value apprenticeships and are prepared to invest in them. Co-investment is an important part of our reforms to funding, making sure that employers take ownership of the apprenticeship by having to make a financial contribution towards it.

Apprentices: Taxation

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of total apprenticeship levy funds paid from April 2017 have been drawn down so far by employers.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely underspend from apprenticeship levy payments when the first funding period expires in April 2019.

lord agnew of oulton: Between 6 May 2017, when the apprenticeship service went live, and the end of April 2018, levy paying employers drew down £207 million from their apprenticeship service accounts for new starts.  The Department for Education has a ring-fenced apprenticeship budget which has been set regardless of how much levy receipts are each year. This budget was set at £2.01 billion for the 2017-18 financial year. It is used to fund new apprenticeship starts in levy and non levy-paying employers and to cover the ongoing training costs of apprentices that are already in training. As the apprenticeship programme is demand led, and employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, at what level and when, actual spend to April 2019 is still unknown. We will publish details on aggregate apprenticeship spending in our departmental end-of-year accounts as part of our normal financial reporting cycle.

Apprentices: Taxation

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to meet with the British Chambers of Commerce to discuss its concerns about the apprenticeship levy, in particular the need for it to be made more flexible.

lord agnew of oulton: Ministers have recently met with the British Chambers of Commerce, Confederation of British Industry, Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Business to listen to their feedback on quality reforms and the levy. The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the changes to raise the quality of apprenticeships; creating long-term, sustainable investment in training for apprentices in all sectors and regions across the country. 37 per cent of apprentice starts are now on the new and improved apprenticeship standards. The apprenticeships levy is designed to achieve an increase in investment in apprenticeships, and by 2020 investment will be £2.45 billion, double that in 2010. It is right that the funds raised through the apprenticeship levy are spent training apprentices so that employers can access the skills they need. In response to employer feedback, we have introduced some flexibility to the levy. Levy-paying employers are now able to transfer up to 10 per cent of the annual value of funds entering their apprenticeship service account to other organisations to pay for training and assessment on apprenticeship standards. We are introducing transfers on a gradual basis, allowing levy payers to benefit from added flexibility whilst protecting the integrity and affordability of the programme and the interests of non-levied employers. We will monitor the implementation of transfers, including how the 10 per cent limit is working. Over the coming months, we will be working with employers and employer organisations to make sure that they are aware of the flexibilities that already exist around apprenticeships.

Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion: Democratic Republic of Congo

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint a trade envoy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what role such an envoy would play in ethically reliable extraction deals and socially responsible investment in the country’s infrastructure.

baroness fairhead: This Department has submitted recommendations to Number 10 for the position of Trade Envoy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).The UK is at an early stage of commercially focused engagement with DRC. An appointment of a Trade Envoy to the DRC would focus on building up commercial level relationships and build a strategy to encourage UK companies to engage. The Trade Envoy would support HMG programmes to increase investments while reducing engagement risks by addressing the constraints to economic development. The UK aims to work with the Government of DRC and other partners to create a conducive investment climate to drive long-term sustainable development.

Customs Unions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of any backstop period, when the UK remained part of the Customs Union after leaving the EU, on the UK’s ability to negotiate trade deals with foreign countries.

baroness fairhead: The UK and EU agreed at the March European Council that we will be able to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements with old friends — and new allies — around the globe from the day of our exit from the EU and at the start of the implementation period. The Department for International Trade's priority for now is to be in a position to begin formal negotiations with key partners immediately after we leave the EU. The backstop solution put forward by the EU is not acceptable and that’s why the UK will be bringing forward its own proposal. We want to make progress as soon as possible.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of councils to set housing policies that provide stakeholders with clarity over what affordable housing level should be delivered if the draft National Planning Policy Framework is adopted.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The draft National Planning Policy Framework proposes a standard method for assessing housing needs, with affordable housing needs considered in light of the figures this provides. This is intended to make the approach easier, cheaper and more transparent, saving authorities time and money when preparing their plans. We are considering the responses to the consultation on the draft Framework, including its implications for the capacity of local planning authorities.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of public awareness of current carbon monoxide alarms only identifying acute episodes not chronic exposure.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has not carried out such an assessment.The Government and its agencies do however continue to raise public awareness about the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning including recognising the symptoms of exposure.Where carbon monoxide alarms are required or recommended, Government advice is that they should comply with British Standard BS EN 50291 which sets out that alarms shall activate rapidly to high levels of carbon monoxide and within set time periods to prolonged but lower concentrations.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, followingtheir decision to financially assist public sector housing bodies to pay for re-cladding as a result of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, what plansthey have to assist private sector owner occupiers wholive in apartment buildings which require new cladding for which they have no resources.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: In the private sector, building owners are responsible for making buildings safe. We have been clear we think they or the developers of the buildings should pay and not pass costs on to leaseholders, either funding the work themselves or looking at alternative routes such as insurance claims, warranties or action to ensure those responsible for erecting unsafe cladding pay.My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State recently held an industry roundtable on the barriers to the remediation of buildings with unsafe cladding. We have said that we rule nothing out at this stage.

Home Office

Security: Turkey

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Home Secretary, or any other minister, has signed a declaration of intention with the government of Turkey concerning security cooperation; and whether any such declaration protects innocent persons against deportation or asset freezing.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Secretary signed a letter of intent with the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Süleyman Soylu, on 15 May. The letter agreed to take concrete steps towards measures that will formalise information sharing on a range of Home Office issues. It also reaffirmed our commitment to deepen co-operation between the Home Office and the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.This commitment means that we will look at how our police, border, customs and coastguard agencies can share information more easily in order to tackle the terrorists and organised criminals involved in money laundering, drug smuggling and people and arms trafficking.In terms of deportation or asset freezing, an investigation or any legal or administrative action is only taken where there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing in the UK.

Female Genital Mutilation

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the intentions set out in their 2015 Counter Extremism Strategy, they intend to refuse entry visas to foreign preachers or teachers who are known to advocate female genital mutilation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government’s Counter Extremism Strategy is clear that female genital mutilation can be a harm of extremism. FGM is a crime and this Government will not tolerate it.The Government takes a robust stance against individuals seeking entry to the UK where a person’s character, conduct or associations make it undesirable for them to do so. The Home Secretary has excluded 11 individuals from the UK for unacceptable extremist behaviour since the Counter Extremism Strategy was published in October 2015. We will continue to consider any cases brought to our attention and act in accordance with the individual circumstances involved.

Asylum

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers were removed from the UK while their applications were still being processed in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

baroness williams of trafford: Other than in certified cases, the Home Office does not intentionally remove individuals whose claim for protection is still being processed.The Home Office does not routinely publish statistics on the number of individuals wrongfully removed or deported, or keep central records of people who have been wrongfully removed or deported.However, as was noted in a letter provided to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 14 May 2018, the department identified 17 cases since 2015 in which a person was returned to the UK after being removed,i. in five cases, the Department or the Court found no legal basis for their remaining here; the Department has subsequently removed or is seeking to remove that person again from the UK;ii. in nine cases, proceedings are ongoing; andiii. in three cases, the Department or the Court has found those people to have a legal basis to remain in the UK. (It is not necessarily the case that the legal reason which led to those people being brought back to the UK is the same grounds on which they have acquired a legal basis to remain).

Department for Exiting the European Union

Customs Unions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would any backstop period, when the UK remained part of the Customs Union after leaving the EU, entail; and how would it differ from any transition period.

lord callanan: The UK agreed in the Joint Report that a backstop option to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland and Ireland and maintain the economic integrity of the UK should be translated into legally binding text. The Prime Minister has been clear that the current drafting of the EU’s backstop proposal is unacceptable. We will bring forward our own proposal in due course.With regard to the second point, the UK and EU negotiating teams have reached agreement on the terms of an implementation period that will start on 30 March 2019 and last until 31 December 2020. During this period the UK will no longer be a Member State of the European Union, but market access will continue on current terms.

Treasury

VAT

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bates on 21 May (HL7676), which crown bodies using the single series of VAT registration numbers are in the private sector.

lord bates: HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers.

Financial Markets: Corruption

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of the UK’s financial markets for corrupt transactions by overseas investors; and what steps they are taking to combat such practices.

lord bates: The UK’s openness and status as a global financial centre exposes it to the risk of illicit financial flows. The UK’s National Risk Assessment 2017 assessed that retail banking, wholesale banking, capital markets and wealth management are all exposed to high money laundering risks. This assessment can be viewed online. This government is committed to ensuring the UK’s financial system is hostile to illicit finance, and is taking action to protect the integrity of the UK financial system. This includes introducing the Criminal Finances Act 2017 to enhance law enforcement’s powers to investigate and tackle financial crime, and comprehensively updating the Money Laundering Regulations to bring them in line with the latest international standards. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which supervises financial institutions conducts regular, detailed AML inspections of the major retail and investment banks operating in the UK. Where financial institutions fall short of their legal and regulatory obligations, the FCA has taken tough action.

Lloyds Banking Group

lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thereport by Sally Masterton on alleged fraud and misrepresentation at Lloyds Banking Group; and what steps they intend to take to address the concerns raised in that report.

lord bates: Internal Lloyds reports in relation to the Halifax Bank Of Scotland, Reading branch fraud should be passed to the independent Financial Conduct Authority and Lloyds Banking Group, both of which are conducting on-going investigations on this matter.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

5G

lord arbuthnot of edrom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to provide sufficient back-up power generation for the 5G mobile system to ensure that the emergency communication system can operate during an prolonged power outage.

lord ashton of hyde: As 5G technology is still at innovation stage and has not been commercially deployed yet, there are currently no national 5G networks in the UK. Once this technology is deployed, it will be built out across existing networks and complimentary to them. Widespread loss of electricity is one of the highest risks in the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies published by government. As a result, DCMS together with Ofcom and industry take power resilience matters and telecommunications very seriously.

Charities: Finance

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligations charities have to disclose weak financial stability to donors.

lord ashton of hyde: All charities must keep accounting records and prepare accounts.Registered charities must also prepare an annual report to accompany their accounts and make these documents available to the public on request. These documents should give the reader a clear picture of the financial health of the charity, including its main activities and impact, its sources of income, its expenditure and its assets.The annual accounts and reports of registered charities with an annual income of over £25,000 are freely available for public scrutiny on the Charity Commission’s website.All charitable companies irrespective of size and all other charities with an income of more than £250,000 must prepare their accounts in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).The SORP requires that larger charities (income over £500,000) in their trustees’ annual report must include in their financial review an explanation of any factors that are likely to affect the financial performance or position going forward.

Gaming Machines

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed changes to maximum stakes for gaming machines on employment in and the economy of market towns.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May accompanied by an impact assessment, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures Whilst the impact assessment does not address specific economies such as market towns, the Government is aware of the potential impact on businesses following the decision to cut stakes on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals and took this into consideration. A report by Geofutures, commissioned by GambleAware in February 2015, showed that betting shops are overwhelmingly in urban places and places with economic deprivation. The attached research can be viewed here:http://about.gambleaware.org/media/1170/b2gamingmachines_finalreport_20150218.pdf We will continue to take the actions necessary to protect those most vulnerable from harm and will work closely with the industry between now and implementation.

Gambling: Internet

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to bring forward detailed proposals for the regulation of online gambling.

lord ashton of hyde: The Gambling Commission is the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission recently concluded a comprehensive review of the online gambling sector drawing on its experience of regulating the whole British online gambling market since November 2014, and has identified key areas where it intends to consult on regulatory changes to enhance protections for online gambling. The attached review can be found here: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Online-review-March-2018.pdf In particular, the Gambling Commission is proposing to require operators to set limits on players’ spending until affordability checks have been completed, and to introduce stricter licence requirements for gambling companies to know their customers and intervene at an earlier stage before players experience harm. Detailed proposals will be set out at consultation stage, the timelines for which are set out in the Gambling Commission’s recently published business plan, which is attached: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/news/2018/Gambling-Commission-publishes-2018-2019-business-plan.aspx   



Gambling Commission review 2018
(PDF Document, 3.36 MB)




Gambling Commission business plan 2018
(PDF Document, 110.53 KB)

Google

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Google about that company's autocomplete and related search features revealing the names of victims involved in sexual assault cases.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime get the support they need to cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with industry on a range of issues, including safeguarding victims of sexual assault. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.